The next day!
In the central area of the prefectural city, several yamen runners, dressed in their official uniforms, hurriedly arrived before an imposing and majestic mansion.
The owner of this mansion was none other than Xiao Gaoyuan, the Prefect of Jingtai Prefecture.
Deep within the mansion, in an exquisitely designed garden, there was a small central pavilion where five or six figures could be seen.
Among them, a man in a loose, comfortable robe of fine silk and satin was reclining leisurely on a high-quality wooden chair.
Several young women with attractive figures and scantily clad attire were attending to the man diligently.
Directly in front of the man stood three young men, dressed in the style of pampered young masters.
These three young masters were the sons of Xiao Gaoyuan, the Prefect of Jingtai Prefecture.
The man lying before them was, naturally, Xiao Gaoyuan himself.
They had long grown accustomed to their father Xiao Gaoyuan’s blatant behavior.
Xiao Chenliang, in particular, felt he had become the perfect scapegoat for his father.
The decision to wipe out the Zhang family was entirely his father Xiao Gaoyuan’s idea; it had nothing to do with him, a mere pleasure-seeker.
Xiao Chenliang believed that although he had done many terrible things in his usual dissipated life, compared to his father, his own deeds were insignificant.
As far as Xiao Chenliang knew, his father had set his sights on the Zhang family’s assets and their daughter, Zhang Yingxue.
It was for this reason he ordered the Black Eagle Gang to annihilate the entire Zhang family, to satisfy his own selfish desires.
On the night the Zhang family was destroyed, Zhang Yingxue was personally delivered by the Black Eagle Gang’s leader.
His wonderful father had even covered Zhang Yingxue’s eyes and pretended to be him.
He enjoyed Zhang Yingxue for several days, only discarding her back to the Zhang family after he had grown tired of her.
As for the torture inflicted upon Zhang Yingxue, that was just finding a random excuse and doing it on a whim.
Xiao Chenliang felt utterly despairing when he thought about how his reputation throughout the entire prefectural city had already sunk to the level of being worse than an animal.
Xiao Gaoyuan, with his eyes tightly shut, was enjoying the attentions of the beautiful woman below.
But a moment later, a hint of displeasure flickered across Xiao Gaoyuan’s face. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the beauty beneath him.
“Hmm?”
“Who allowed your teeth to touch me there?”
The beauty he was staring at trembled, immediately prostrating herself, her forehead pressed against the ground.
“Master, forgive me, it was this concubine’s fault.”
“Hmph, Second Son, it seems your wife needs a few more days of my guidance.”
The young man addressed as Second Son instantly felt mortified and deeply ashamed.
“Yes, Father. Your son understands.”
Seeing that his second son had no objection, Xiao Gaoyuan revealed a satisfied smile.
Sons were things he could have as many of as he wanted.
His eldest son was the true son in Xiao Gaoyuan’s heart; the others were merely ornaments.
Then, Xiao Gaoyuan turned his head to look at Xiao Chenliang, who was watching the scene unfold, and casually spoke a few words.
“Chenliang, that Zhang Yingxue of the Zhang family no longer serves any purpose.”
“Go to the Black Eagle Gang yourself and have them handle the remaining matters.”
“Yes, Father!”
Though Xiao Chenliang felt somewhat disgruntled inside, he dared not defy his father’s wishes in the slightest.
Because his father was not only the Prefect of Jingtai Prefecture but also a martial artist at the Inner Breath realm.
Just as Xiao Chenliang was about to leave, several men in yamen runner uniforms came running from a distance.
“Master, something terrible has happened!”
Xiao Gaoyuan, annoyed that someone had disturbed his pleasure, immediately began to loudly reprimand the man in the middle of the group of runners.
“Wu Qian, as the Chief Constable of the prefectural yamen, you appear so recklessly! Where are your manners?”
The lead runner, seeing Xiao Gaoyuan’s displeasure, ignored the need for explanations and quickly spoke up.
“Master… Master, something terrible has happened! Something’s happened to the Black Eagle Gang!”
Upon hearing the words “Black Eagle Gang,” everyone present focused their attention on Wu Qian.
Xiao Gaoyuan even sat up straight, looking at Wu Qian with a suspicious gaze.
“Something happened to the Black Eagle Gang?”
“What could possibly happen to the Black Eagle Gang?”
“Wu Qian, you had better think carefully before you speak.”
Was there any force within Jingtai Prefecture capable of moving against the Black Eagle Gang?
He, Xiao Gaoyuan, certainly wasn’t aware of any such powerful force existing in Jingtai Prefecture.
Of course, Xiao Gaoyuan was definitely excluding those fellows from the Xuan Bird Guard.
“Master, it’s true!”
“I saw it with my own eyes!”
“Every single member of the Black Eagle Gang is dead, killed last night!”
“Now, there isn’t a single living person left in the entire Black Eagle Gang.”
“But on the ground and elsewhere, there are large amounts of bloodstains!”
“Master, your subordinate suspects it was those things!”
As Wu Qian spoke, his body unconsciously moved closer to Xiao Chenliang.
“Oh, and one more thing: Zhang Yingxue of the Zhang family has also mysteriously disappeared.”
Wu Qian’s last statement left everyone stunned, unsure of its implication.
As Wu Qian drew near, Xiao Chenliang felt a strange, bone-chilling, sinister aura wash over him.
This icy-cold, piercing air filled Xiao Chenliang’s heart with a throbbing sense of dread.
“Constable Wu, you seem to have a strange, foul smell on you.”
Xiao Chenliang couldn’t help but step back a few paces, distancing himself from Wu Qian.
“Yin energy?”
“Not good!”
In the distance, Xiao Gaoyuan suddenly looked up sharply, staring at Wu Qian and the two other runners standing rigidly.
It was as if he had discovered some incredible secret, and he cried out in alarm!
“How is this possible!”
“Wu Qian, you!”
Before Xiao Gaoyuan’s warning could even register, Xiao Chenliang and his two older brothers stared at Wu Qian’s face as if they had seen a ghost, utterly bewildered.
They watched as Wu Qian’s face began to crack, forming patterns like a spider’s web.
Wu Qian’s features slowly vanished, replaced by a face they, the Xiao brothers, knew all too well.
Zhang Yingxue!
“You… you… you!”
The instant Zhang Yingxue appeared, the entire Xiao mansion was enveloped in a strange, sinister, and frigid aura.
Xiao Chenliang and the others, upon seeing Zhang Yingxue’s terrifyingly twisted face, were immediately frightened out of their wits. They lost their balance and stumbled backward, falling to the ground.
Xiao Gaoyuan was already secretly circulating his inner energy to resist the terrifying Yin energy radiating from Zhang Yingxue.
“A spectral entity appearing in broad daylight!”
“Such Yin energy… this is a Calamity-grade specter!”
Zhang Yingxue?
Seeing Zhang Yingxue’s face, Xiao Gaoyuan was completely shocked.
Had Zhang Yingxue turned into one of those things?
And become a Calamity-grade one at that!
This was something Xiao Gaoyuan, who had witnessed countless strange events, simply could not comprehend!
“Die!”
